Of the many executive orders and proclamations President Donald Trump signed on Monday, one renames two geographical locations, Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.
In an executive order, “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness,” Trump states, “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”
The order directs new members of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names (BGN) to be appointed and for the Secretary of the Interior to review and consider additional appointments. Once there is a new board, the order directs its members to “honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans” and provide a guidance to Congress if a new law is required to rename geographic entities.
The order instructs that the highest mountain in the U.S. in Alaska be restored to its original 1917 name, Mount McKinley, in honor of the 15th president of the United States, William McKinley. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill into law establishing the Mount McKinley National Park in the territory of Alaska.
Native Alaskans have historically referred to the mountain as Denali. In 1975, the Alaska Board of Geographic Names officially changed the name to Denali. The Alaska legislature also requested the BGN to rename the mountain Denali, which was blocked by congressional members from Ohio, McKinley’s home state. In 1980, then President Jimmy Carter proposed a compromise to keep the mountain’s name but renamed the national park around it as the Denali National Park and Preserve.
In 2015, former President Barack Obama’s Secretary of the Interior renamed the mountain Denali on her own despite congressional objection.
After winning the election in November, Trump said he would rename the mountain.
On his first day in office, Trump issued a proclamation stating President McKinley “heroically led our Nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation. President McKinley championed tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights. He was tragically assassinated in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success, and he should be honored for his steadfast commitment to American greatness.”
The Obama administration stripping the McKinley name from federal nomenclature was “an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice,” the proclamation states.
The order directs the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate the mountain’s name, keep the national park’s name and “work with Alaska Native entities and state and local organizations to adopt names for landmarks to honor the history and culture of the Alaskan people.”
The order also directs the secretary to take appropriate actions to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
The U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded by the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba “has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America,” the order states. The largest gulf in the world “was a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce,” with a U.S. coastline spanning more than 1,700 miles and nearly 160 million acres.
“Its natural resources and wildlife remain central to America’s economy,” the order notes. It’s one of “the most prodigious oil and gas regions in the world,” accounting for roughly 14% of U.S. crude oil production as well as natural gas. U.S. oil and natural gas industry innovative technologies “have allowed us to tap into some of the deepest and richest oil reservoirs in the world,” the proclamation states.
The gulf is also vital to American fisheries, recognized as one of the most productive fisheries in the world, with the second largest volume of commercial fishing landings by region in the U.S., the order notes. It’s also vital to local economies as a primary eco-tourist and recreational destination and home to a multi-billion-dollar U.S. maritime industry, where some of the largest ports in the world play a pivotal role in the US energy industry and U.S. commerce.
The order directs the secretary to update the Geographic Names Information System to use Gulf of America and the new BGN board to provide guidance to ensure all federal references use it on maps, contracts and other documents.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears to be the first governor to use it in an official order. A Jan. 20 executive order winter storm warning refers to “low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air.”
